French Tinplate- Louis Roussy LR 241 "Super Rapide"

Has the motor got a permanent magnet field? Those disks could be selenium rectifiers.

Nope. Closer inspection shows wires going to the field. Really cool loco, though.

Hello John,  That is a great find, I don't have one in my collection. You need absolutely to restore it !!!

To answer some of your questions. LR motors are very simple and runs great, on those models there is a selenium rectifier in one of the chassis. i have no knowledge on how it works. I will take a look to a similar one on a spare chassis. I have an original pick up if you want one and i will have to look for the trucks and pony wheels.

There is not yet a book on LR, but one is going to be published in France for the end of the year and will cover the most rare and unusual pieces from that manufacturer. It will be in french only, sorry.

Very best,  Daniel

RoyBoy, Daniel- thank you both for your replies. Re-reading the TCA Western Division website on LR http://www.tcawestern.org/lr.htm, I see that they explain the use of the rectifier, in fact they explain all of Louis Roussy's patents. The info for patent #5:

"Patent #5 was French patent FR 815 449 (A), applied for March 24, 1936 and issued April 12, 1937. This patent described and claimed a remote control method for the direction of rotation of a DC motor equipped with an inductor having a single winding consisting of making, taking into account the polarity of the supply conductors, the inversion of the field in one of the two circuits of the motor to be controlled (inductor or armature) by means of a rectifier of the type of those used for the transformation of alternating current into direct current. This was the second time that a French manufacturer of electric toy trains utilized a rectifier to remotely control the direction of travel of a locomotive. The first who tried to go in this direction was JEP (JEP patent #8 of 1935). Such a rectifier technique had already been studied in Germany by Märklin a few years earlier. According to a first embodiment of the invention, the method was applied to a 'series' motor and the rectifier was then located between the inductor and the armature. In a first variant, the respective provisions of the armature and the inductor relative to the rectifier were such that in the armature the current was always maintained in the same direction whereas it can be reversed in the inductor while playing on the polarity of the power source. In a second variant, the respective provisions of the armature and the inductor with respect to the rectifier could be reversed so that in the inductor the current is always maintained in the same direction whereas it can be reversed in the same direction, induced by playing on the polarity of the power source. According to a second mode, the method is applied to a motor 'bypass' and the rectifier is then located in the circuit of the inductor."

Daniel- many thanks for the offer to assist with finding parts. Interestingly, I came across an advertisement for another "Super Rapide" which also has the pilot and pony wheels missing, but the seller mentions they are common to other LR models. So far I haven't been able to figure out which models that would be, but I did find a number of photos of the complete complement of wheels (and the tender pickup) on the internet:

John Smatlak posted:

Interestingly, I came across an advertisement for another "Super Rapide" which also has the pilot and pony wheels missing, but the seller mentions they are common to other LR models. So far I haven't been able to figure out which models that would be, but I did find a number of photos of the complete complement of wheels (and the tender pickup) on the internet:

 

 

John,

Here a picture of 3 of my LR loco's (2-4-0, 0-4-2 and 4-4-2); I do not see a similarity of the trucks/wheels with the pictures you posted.

Also none of the tenders or passenger cars I have, have wheels/trucks looking like those on your picture.  And of course there are a number of 0-4-0's which only have driving wheels. I do not have the LR Pacific (and the Super-Rapide) for further comparison. The LR Pacific is (I think) even more rare than the Super-Rapide, so not an easy source for wheels/trucks. Further any of the LR non-steam locomotives might have wheels/trucks you are looking for (I only collect steam-outline so I would not know).

Regards

Fred

Hello John,

The underside of the tender from the eBay auction you posted is wrong, pick-up is a homemade one. And the loco is for sale since "some" years...

I just have a bad picture of the right one, it is similar to the ones ou your loco. I have a spare one but it comes from a motor and will need a L piece to be screw to the underside of the tender.

The front and boggie trucks are specific to this model and you will not find any from another LR model. the ones from Fred are post war models for two of them .

I just have a set of pre-war nickeled front wheels. The back ones are a little bigger in size and for someone with a lathe they could be made. The trucks by themselves are just pieces in form and certainly could be made with some "TLC".....   

Sorry but i cannot do more and finding original parts is next to impossible.

If you want the parts you know where to contact me. They will be yours for shipping price.    Daniel

never heard of those. Beautiful engine and great find!

FRENCHTRAINS posted:

 

There is not yet a book on LR, but one is going to be published in France for the end of the year and will cover the most rare and unusual pieces from that manufacturer. It will be in french only, sorry.

Very best,  Daniel

 

The book on Le Rapide (LR) is now available, but as far as I know only to members of the French toy-train association CFE (Cercle Ferroviphile Européen) http://www.trainjouet.com/.

Regards

Fred

FRED: Is that your copy in the photo?

Yes it is.

Regards

Fred

sncf231e posted:

FRENCHTRAINS posted:

 

There is not yet a book on LR, but one is going to be published in France for the end of the year and will cover the most rare and unusual pieces from that manufacturer. It will be in french only, sorry.

Very best,  Daniel

 

The book on Le Rapide (LR) is now available, but as far as I know only to members of the French toy-train association CFE (Cercle Ferroviphile Européen) http://www.trainjouet.com/.

Regards

Fred

Fred- thank you for letting us know, I will have to inquire. Does it have some pages devoted to the "Super Rapide"? I'm curious to understand how many years it was produced and whether or not there were any variations. 

The book is not a catalogue or encyclopedia of LeRapide but more a collection of notes and remarks on the LR products; it has some pictures of the SuperRapide and some text but not enough I would say to get a copy just for that. According to the catalogue of catalogues by Clive Lamming the SuperRapide had catalogue number 1004.L  and was made from 1937-1940. 

Regards

Fred 

NB: I have sent you an email